This is the alt.fan.eddings.creative Frequently Asked Questions list.
Questions asked (and answered) in this FAQ are:
What is alt.fan.eddings.creative for?
How does it relate to alt.fan.eddings?
What is fanfic?
Are there a set of guidelines for writing Eddings fanfic?
Is there an archive of current fanfic?
My newsserver doesn't carry alt.fan.eddings.creative! What can I do?
Are there suggestions on how to give feedback on posted fanfic?
Are there any other recommendations?
Who maintains this FAQ?
Answers:
(1) What is alt.fan.eddings.creative for?
alt.fan.eddings.creative (afec for short) is a newsgroup devoted to fanfic
(see question 3) derived from the stories of David and Leigh Eddings. To
know more about David and Leigh Eddings (D&LE), read the afe FAQ.
(2) How does it relate to alt.fan.eddings?
alt.fan.eddings (afe) is a newsgroup for discussing the stories of David
Eddings. There is obviously some crossover between the two groups (the
regular posters to afec are also normally regulars in afe).
Please note that afe is *not* for fanfic; this doesn't mean that you'll get
flamed mightily for posting it to afe, but it should really go to afec
instead. Similarly, afec is not really for banter and chat; it's
supposed to be a very on-topic group, for postings and discussion of
Eddings fanfic. AFE has a fairly high volume of banter and chat as well as
on topic stuff, so if that's what you're looking for, go there;
please try and keep it out of AFEC.
(3) What is fanfic?
Fanfic (short for fan-fiction) is writings which are set in the worlds of,
using the characters of, or otherwise derived from some published work.
This includes short stories, long stories :-) and filks (songs adapted in
some way, often amusingly, to fit in with the chosen milieu).
(4) Are there a set of guidelines for writing Eddings fanfic?
There aren't really; AFEC is a convenient place to post such fanfic, not a
censorship board. However, it would be nice if stories fitted in with one
another, otherwise we end up with a great deal of confusion and
inconsistency: this means reading all the other stories (which you should
do anyway, because they're good :-) before writing your own. Repeat: this
is not a *rule*, just a suggestion.
(5) Is there an archive of current fanfic?
The AFEC Fanfic archives are at
http://www.kryogenix.albatross.co.uk/afe/fanfic.html
A collection of Eddings-related filks are archived at
http://cameodesign.hypermart.net/filk.htm
(6)My newsserver doesn't carry alt.fan.eddings.creative! What can I do?
Unfortunately, afec is not as well propagated as we might hope. Your first
course of action is to ask your ISP if they can add it to their newsfeed -
this is often successful. If not, Itagne has set up a "news>mail" daemon
for afec. This posts mails sent to it to afec for you, and sends all posts
to afec to its subscribers via email.
To post to AFEC via the daemon, simply mail your message to
afec@greenbeak.demon.co.uk instead of posting it. It will then be posted
to the newsgroup by the daemon, reproduced as accurately as possible
(e.g. Date, From, Reply-To headers will remain the same but it is necessary
under RFC-1036 to add a Sender header).
To receive news-by-mail from the daemon, you just have to send a blank
mail afec-subscribe@greenbeak.demon.co.uk . When you subscribe you will be
sent full details of how to unsubscribe, configure the daemon with your
settings, and use the filtering option.
(7) Are there suggestions on how to give feedback on posted fanfic?
There are indeed. These basically revolve around Usenet and general
etiquette; that is to say, constructive criticism is welcomed by authors,
but pointless flames and cries of "what utter cr*p" are not. Remember that
someone put in a fair amount of time and effort to write a piece of fanfic;
if you don't agree with something someone's written, then count to ten, and
*then* post calmly explaining why. If you just don't like a piece of fanfic
and want to post to the group saying just that, don't bother.
Save it for email, or send it to /dev/null.
(8) Are there any other recommendations?
Just one - if you want to comment on a piece of fanfic, *please* don't
quote the whole thing in your reply. This does nothing but annoy people.
It's part of general Usenet etiquette, but it's particularly important in
AFEC where the posts are rather lengthy :-)
(9) Who maintains this FAQ?
The FAQ maintainer is Aquarius. Communicate any questions, additions,
problems, disagreements and five-pound-notes to him at
aquarius@kryogenix.albatross.co.uk
The latest copy of this FAQ can be found at the Fanfic Archives.

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